The way your job posting is written can deter great candidates from applying.

Be Concise

In most cases, passive and active candidates will access information about vacancies, either through mailing lists or social media sites such as LinkedIn, but will be time pressured, so it is important that the information about the role is accessible, easy to read and that the key points are presented in a page. As one candidate stated, “I had a four page job description once, I didn’t read past the first page.”

Use Your Employees

Following a survey conducted by the Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC) on how people found out about the jobs they applied for, one in five (19%), the largest proportion of respondents, use word of mouth to find out about a role.

This places a greater imperative on employers to view candidates and employees as ambassadors for their employer brand.

People talk, and how workers navigate their way through the recruitment process, how they feel about this interaction, will influence a pool of potential workers beyond the immediate candidate pool.

Be Accurate & Relevant

During focus groups, candidates thought that having accurate and concise information on the job as critical.

“There is no point continuing with the conversation if you don’t give me information about the salary at the beginning. If it is not meeting my expectations, let’s not waste your time or my time”.

Some participants voiced the suspicion that job descriptions are not written by hiring managers but by HR, and that job descriptions are recycled from previous hiring rounds and therefore are more likely to contain generic information. For candidates, it is not just about defining the role, but also that the employer is very clear on what experience and qualifications they are looking for from the person that they expect to fill the role.

“A job description that says too little, I avoid like the plague. There is an element of trickery. A job description that says something like “no experience required if you are looking for something that is stimulating”.

Consider the Culture

In addition, candidates valued information which captures the culture of the organisation. This could include information on flexible work practices, dress code and opportunities for socialising with colleagues. However it was suggested that employers focus on tangible aspects of the work culture, rather relying on buzz words which capture the feelings that the culture generates.

Be Original in Your Presentation

Consider using video to get an understanding of the company. It can be useful to understand the brand and the history.